2018 Frog Training Biology Seminar Notes

Hello and welcome to this year’s annual frog webinar. Today there is a large frog joining us.

Please be seated.

First we must discuss frogs:

It is important to note that frogs and toads breathe through their lungs like most terrestrial
vertebrates, but they also utilize their soft, moist skin as a secondary means of taking in oxygen.
This type of breathing requires that the skin be both moist and permeable. Their skin remains
permeable because they do not have a protective covering like scales, hair, or feathers. They
maintain moisture through mucous gland secretions and by staying near water. Toads have a
somewhat more watertight skin than frogs and can therefore venture farther from water.

On the main difference between toads and frogs:

Toads are also characterized by the horny bumps, sometimes called warts, on their skin. The
most pronounced of these bumps, called parotoid glands, are found just behind the toad’s eyes
and produce a poison that helps in defense against predators. The poison repels animals as large
as raccoons because of the mild mouth discomfort they experience when trying to eat a toad.
Often they drop the toad, allowing its escape.